At Wessex Film and Sound Archive you can see and hear history, from late Victorian times to the present day, through moving images and sound recordings. The Archive contains over 36,000 film and sound recordings relating to Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, including film and tapes of local TV and radio.
This film is part of Free
Weymouth
Enjoy this nostalgic look at the Dorset resort of Weymouth - complete with beachtime fun, Punch & Judy, fishing and a Beauty Queen tug-of-war.
From the collection of:
Overview
This film contains many views of Weymouth and its many attractions, starting with its royal connections. We then see families enjoying themselves on packed beaches, a Punch & Judy show and a Royal Navy open day on a frigate. A junior talent show is followed by a beauty contest and also a look at the working port. Sea fishing and other sports and pastimes are featured. We visit locations outside Weymouth before returning to a King Neptune ceremony and an all-girls tug-of-war.
The warship seen in this film was HMS Grenville, originally a U Class destroyer launched in October 1942. In her time she served on anti-submarine patrols in the North Atlantic, supported the Anzio landings in the Mediterranean and took part in the D-Day landings in 1944. After serving in the British Pacific Fleet she returned to Portsmouth in 1946. After an extensive refit, starting in 1953, she was converted into a Type 15 frigate, as F197, and received a new commission as leader of the 2nd Training Squadron based in Portland, which is close to Weymouth. In the early 1960s she was in Gibraltar but returned to Portsmouth, where she would eventually become a surface weapons trial ship. She was scrapped in 1983.
Related
Watch for free
Schools for Moslems Schools for Moslems
Documentary 1980 27 mins Location: Bury
A visit to Darul Uloom School in South Lancashire, the UK's first Muslim school
Watch for free
Xcitement! Xcitement!
Pornography 1960 5 mins Silent
Glamour goddess Pamela Green reveals all in a key ‘60s striptease collaboration with George Harrison Marks.
Watch for free
Heaven (Gay Life) Heaven (Gay Life)
Factual TV 1980 25 mins
The LGBT current affairs series visits the new Heaven nightclub, contrasting it with other parts of London’s gay scene.
Watch for free
Introduction to Northampton Introduction to Northampton
Documentary 1963 17 mins Location: Northampton
Your employer is relocating to Northampton. Will this film convince you it's a good idea for you too?
Watch for free
If I Film at 2fps… If I Film at 2fps…
Amateur film 1965 3 mins Location: Middlesbrough
A ride on the wild side through Middlesbrough and Teesside.
Watch for free
Chapeltown: One Year On Chapeltown: One Year On
Documentary 1987 21 mins Location: Chapeltown
A documentary that reveals the gap between the talent and determination of a community, and its lack of control over its own destiny.
Watch for free
Weymouth Weymouth
Amateur film 1956 4 mins Silent Location: Weymouth
A family holiday to the popular summer retreat on the coast of Dorset.
Watch for free
Beached Elephants Beached Elephants
Current affairs 1966 1 mins Silent Location: Weymouth
Sophie, Dumbo, Sue and Francis dip their toes in the sea.
Watch for free
Footballing Tortoise Footballing Tortoise
Current affairs 1966 1 mins Location: Weymouth
A proud owner shows his spritely tortoise playing football in Weymouth, but what are the odds?
Watch for free
His Majesty Landing at Weymouth His Majesty Landing at Weymouth
Documentary 1912 3 mins Silent Location: Weymouth
A memorable day for Weymouth as King George V and the young Prince Albert attend the 1912 Fleet Review
Watch for free
Fishy Tale Fishy Tale
Amateur film 1961 7 mins Silent Location: Weymouth
Join the Erskine family on a fishing trip in Weymouth Bay - where mackerel and thornback rays are caught against a backdrop of yachts and ferries
Watch for free
Children Lost and Found Hut in Weymouth Children Lost and Found Hut in Weymouth
News 1967 3 mins Location: Weymouth
A new service is launched with a designated meeting point for lost children on Weymouth.
Watch for free
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Watch for free
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Watch for free
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Watch for free
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Watch for free
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Watch for free
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.